Who'd have thought?

I am a bit of a pop culture/celebrity news junky. It's a guilty pleasure, if you will. I don't waste my money on tabloids or spend hours on TMZ.com, but I do often watch ENews and check in on the entertainment sections of MSN and Yahoo. I just like to know what's goin on. One major thing, I'm sure lots of you have heard about, that's been going on is the Britney Spears saga. Since she filed for divorce at the end of last year, she's out partyin like crazy, in and out of rehab, had that whole head-shaving incident...quite a mess of a girl right now. Really, if you ask me, I think her life has been spiriling more and more out of control since her first marriage 3 years ago. The 55-hour quickie to her childhood friend in Vegas. I think she should have just stuck with him in the first place! Or at least that's what I had thought until the reports from this weekend came out today.
I heard today that Kevin Federline, her estranged husband, has visited her twice already since she went into rehab last Wednesday. He apparently took their 2 kids to visit her on the latter trip. The rumors have been that she shaved her head after a fight the 2 had where he said he was going to have her hair tested for drug use. Then, there was the episode where she attacked a car with an umbrella outside his house where he had their children and wouldn't let her see them. He seems to be genuinly concerned for her well being and is using the potential of losing her children to make her get help. He threatened to have an emergency custody hearing if she didn't go back to rehab last week. He still has that card hanging over her head, and can use it until she finishes rehab.
Now, for all the crap this guy has endured over the past 2 years, you really have to give him his due. He was accused of being a bum, a leech and a gold digger, of mooching off his wife and her success and money. But, the guy has really stepped up and seems to be doing all he can for his family. I have to admit I am impressed. He took quite possibly the only leverage that could be used against her and had the guts to play that card, without exploiting it. He could have easliy just gone to a judge and made his plea for sole custody and probably won. Would that have done her any good? It may have made things worse, actually. Now, she may have a drug problem of some kind, but having 2 babies in a year (the younger one is less than 6 months old!), getting divorced, not having anything resembling a career in years, and living in the constant fish bowl she's in is enough to make anyone kinda lose it at least a little. I mean, the poor girl is only 25! She's had her life publicized and scrutinized for 10 years now. Who can handle all that? How much can we reasonably expect from these people?
Luckily, the people in her life, namely her parents and soon-to-be ex-husband have taken an active role in helping her get the help she needs to cope with life. Hopefully they have caught her soon enough that she doesn't become the next Anna Nicole Smith. I'm with ya mom...she's on my heart as well. I feel so badly for her. I really hope she can pull herself together.